Meet this Pint-Sized, K12-Powered Entrepreneur: You Won’t Believe How Old She Is!

Ariana Jalia is possibly one of the youngest entrepreneur’s in America. At just five years old, she has already authored two books, is currently filming a documentary, and is a first grader at K12 International Academy (iCademy).

Ever since Ariana was two years old, her mother, Dalli Simmons realized Ariana was advanced for her age.

“It was clear almost from the start that Ariana was a unique child,” Dalli said. “She began to speak at seven months, by a year old was speaking in full sentences and able to have basic conversations with those she interacted with, by age two she was reading and doing basic math, and by three she was reading independently.

Ariana started with iCademy when she was two years old. She started with the kindergarten curriculum at the age of 3, and now she is registered for first-grade history, science, and second-grade math, language arts, and French.

“I enrolled Ariana into the K12-powered online private school because I liked the curriculum and the class connects, as well as the balance between text learning and online learning,” Dalli said.

Personalized learning has given Ariana the time to pursue her entrepreneurial interests, such as starting her own company, My SunShine Magic. Traditional school hours would be challenging, but online school lets her enjoy learning and continue to do what she loves.

“I get to learn at my own pace and it gives me the time to work on my company,” Ariana said.

“What I like about being an entrepreneur is watching my company grow with every new product and learning how best to reach the people who want to buy them,” Ariana said. “I love seeing how happy people are when they read my books, and I’m looking forward to seeing how happy they are when they get to see all my new products and my animated show.”

Ariana hopes that her book series, products, and animated series will inspire children to read and write their own stories, as well as set their imagination free to create their dreams without limitations set by others because of their age.

Dalli appreciates the opportunity iCademy provides her daughter to interact with other children of different ages. She explains that the other students have befriended her daughter and that it is a warm environment.

“I’m both thrilled and amazed by Ariana’s ability to invent, imagine, and create a book series and products that feature the characters from her books, as well as develop an animated series around the lives of the characters,” Dalli said. “I am so incredibly proud of her. Every day I wake up, I am amazed by her. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t just look at her in awe and feel like the luckiest mother to have her as my daughter.”

The release of Ariana’s third book, animated series, and online product launch will be all happening in May of this year. Keep up to date with Ariana’s latest activities, including an upcoming documentary on her experience as a child entrepreneur on her official website.

For Jessica Fortner, enrolling at AZVA was the best decision for her overall success. After facing constant abuse from bullies at her brick-and-mortar school, she now thrives in a #blendedlearning environment. @SantanSun shares her story: https://t.co/PK13M3hUzi

"Mathematicians aren't born - they're made." These are the words that @GAcyber math teacher Nikki Smith Brown lives by. She works hard to #inspire students and spark their love for #math. Read her 4 tips to creating future mathematicians in @eschoolnews: https://t.co/zWcdyHfXOX

Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, Anthony Perez can get sick easily. Thankfully @ncva_k12 is keeping him safe. With #onlinelearning, Anthony can balance his doctor’s appointments and treatments and not worry about falling behind in class. @WXIIBreaLove @WXII https://t.co/SVDYF39mbY

Congratulations to the CASC #BetaClub for being named a 2018-2019 @nationalbeta School of Merit! CASC received this honor because of the school's dedication and commitment to academic excellence. Way to go! https://t.co/LyhmaZ3MGM #onlinelearning